[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/3NhTdsYR/eclipse-banner.png[/img][h2][color=gray]Jewels for Fools[/color][/h2][sub][@Thayr][/sub][/center][hr]
This was getting boring. 

Most of the henchmen are lying on the floor in a puddle of their own blood, the last one passed out a long time ago. Eclipse sighs and scans the store; he almost feels bad for whoever has to clean this up. Almost. He kicks the limp head of a henchman like a ball before walking off to find Payback. She did a good job at getting the hostages out...

There were hostages? 

[i]Oh![/i]

Right, James said that earlier over comms. 

He hisses through his teeth, smearing blood on his armor. That would be a mess to clean from his clothes. Queen Bitch's crew was full of bleeders.

Eclipse's shadow descends through a backdoor, and he sees through it for a bit: Payback apprehending two goons in the alley. Chatting about something... one of the men knows her from prison. The talk doesn't last long--and honestly? He feels dirty using his shadow to spy on a teammate, ex-villain or not.

Comms come on. [color=gray]"Send a cleaner."[/color] Was that a thing? He eyes the bloody, unconscious bodies of all the villains lying on the wet floor. [color=gray]"We're heading back to base."[/color]

A shadowy tendril slaps the Queen Bitch's face a few times. She doesn't even react.
[hr][center][h2][color=gray]RTB[/color][/h2][sub]All henchmen were harmed in the making of this post.[/sub][/center][hr]
Eclipse, rather than teleporting back to base like usual, decides to walk back with Payback. Felt rude just abandoning her after a dispatch, and he didn't do it last time. Although with how civilians are backing away from them, he probably should have just left her behind. Heroes covered in black, red, and blood weren't a normal sight, and it's not like his armor was helping either.

He looks a random passerby dead in the eyes and watches them stumble back, almost screaming. That was still fun. Not a good look for a hero, but still fun.
[hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/x8G7CTpZ/madcap-banner.png[/img][h2][color=dodgerblue]Showered in Praise![/color][/h2][sub]Just walking back...[/sub][/center][hr]
The drum of raindrops hit harder against Madcap's helmet as he rushed back to base. He weaves between alleyways; he knows Claremont pretty well, barring the fancier areas. The routes were dingy, totally unheroic, and if it weren't for his helmet blocking most of the smells, pretty rank. 

But it was fun! He did a good job today, that's all that mattered. He got a good review, he got the lady her coffee. Sure, it wasn't badass or even remotely stimulating, but if that's what he had to do become a hero, then he has this under control!

[i][color=dodgerblue]"Urk!"[/color][/i] He trips over an empty can, leather scraping against concrete. [color=dodgerblue]"No fear, no pain..."[/color]

[sub]"God dammit, they're really letting that masked asshole back on the streets?"[/sub]

[color=dodgerblue]"... Time to bolt!"[/color]

The public would see the great ex-vigilante Madcap come back into the spotlight soon! Not right now, of course, he has to get back to base to enjoy a break befitting of a hero.
[hr][center][h2][color=#191970]Break Room, SDN Claremont[/color][/h2][sub]Everyone is here![/sub][/center][hr]
Madcap stares out of the break room window, hands akimbo and one leg up on a chair. A fan is pointed at him, a breeze flowing through his signature red tie. The kettle's whistle is like the sound of the people cheering him on! He can't help but strike another pose as he looks out onto the SDN parking lot!

Eclipse, on the other hand, is leaning on the break room counter with his arms crossed as a shadowy tendril slots two dollars into the vending machine. 

Both heroes hear about the 1-on-1s with James and about Lightning Girl's expensive failure. Apparently, her greatest enemies were Brick Frog... and locked doors. Not the best look for a big name like her, but Eclipse and Madcap are kind enough to spare her from any more teasing. If anything, Eclipse just felt bad, and Madcap knew her situation well enough.

It's as the old saying goes: [color=dodgerblue]"Heroes [b]never[/b] give up! Not even against Brick throwing frogs and expensive locked doors! They always get back up and try again!"[/color] Madcap snaps back to reality, this time facing the rest of the heroes--specifically Lightning Girl--and realizes... [color=dodgerblue]"Oops, I said that out loud! But it's totally true! Just keep your head up, and bust down every door you can find!"[/color]

Eclipse side-eyes him from his little corner and mutters to himself. [color=gray]"Idiot."[/color] He's seen worse in Red Ring, not that it made it any less annoying.

Madcap leaps down from his chair, back to the window. [color=dodgerblue]"This is for all the new heroes! Some of us might be big, strong, and [i][b]awesome;[/b][/i] some of us might be dark, unknown, and [i]badass...[/i] but we all follow the same rules."[/color] He pauses for dramatic effects before pumping his fist into the air. [color=dodgerblue]"Save the day and look [b]GOOD[/b] doing it!"[/color]

He strides toward Blackstar and Asteroid first, a hand on both their shoulders. [color=dodgerblue]"I saw that stream. Freakin'. Awesome."[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"And Phenomaman...! And Princess,"[/color] He covers his helmet eyes with an arm, either pretending or really crying, [color=dodgerblue]"that pizza shop was totally run by villains, it was a setup! Next time, you'll take them down and show them how a true pizza shop is run! [sub] And I'll be there as backup![/sub]"[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"Hat Trick,"[/color] Madcap walks to him next, [color=dodgerblue]"that advertisement... TOTALLY. [b]SUCKED[/b]. But the company totally sucked more! You totally dismantled a villain ploy to sell evil cars! [sub]Er, wasn't my last motorcycle from Ben Dover's Land Rovers?[/sub]"[/color] 

He waves a dismissive hand in the air as he gets to Payback and Eclipse, a little less cheery. [color=dodgerblue]"And... you guys are totally on your way to redemption! Um..."[/color] 

Eclipse can feel the shadowy tendril tap the vending machine buttons more. Where the fuck are his Cheetos?

[color=dodgerblue]"WATCH OUT FOR EXPLOSIVE GLITTER!"[/color]  

So much for a quiet break...
[hr][center][h2][color=gray]Strike A Deal[/color][/h2][sub][@FourtyTwo][/sub][/center][hr]
Eclipse doesn't get to enjoy his chips before promptly being called in for a one-on-one meeting with James. The machine must've been jammed, and the constant boom of Madcap in his ear wasn't helping. He sucks a breath in, he hates these things. Waste of time unless he's getting a promotion or a pass to cook his own drugs again. That would be nice.

He crosses his arms, and the shadows of the room seem to darken and accentuate the red glow of his eye-holes. He [i]did[/i] do pretty well on the last dispatch. 

[quote][color=skyblue]"Nice work so far today. Maybe a bit overkill on the henchmen."[/color][/quote]
[b][i]What[/i][/b]. 

What do you mean overkill on the henchmen? They're [i]henchmen[/i]! Not even the Queen Bitch cares about them! He frowns--it's not visible under his helmet, obviously--but he was starting to hate this already.

[quote][color=skyblue]"I guess the only question is, how are you holding up?"[/color][/quote]
[quote][color=skyblue]"Because you have all the symptoms of someone in the withdrawal process of taking opiate-class drugs. Doing well considering, mate. So, yeah, be honest with me how you're feeling, and I'll chat to Alan....the Magnificent.... To see if I can cook you something up because I don't want you to be any less effective when you're skinning out. I know we'll never replace what you were on, Eclipse. But if you want time, let me know and we can look at something.[/color][/quote]
That statement irks him more than he'd like to admit. Eclipse cocks his head to the side and taps an impatient finger against his arm. It takes him a few seconds to realize that James is banking on him to respond. It'd go faster like that anyway.

[color=gray]"Fine."[/color] That was a bold-faced lie; he hung around the break-room without his mask, so that anyone with half a brain could figure out he was going through it. He thinks back on the night before. [color=gray]"... Not fine."[/color]

[color=gray]"What I'm going through doesn't concern you. If my performance falters, then we talk."[/color] He pauses. [color=gray]"If that's the case, then let [i]me[/i] handle it. I know what I need, and I'd be much faster at making it than that old wizard."[/color] He still remembers how to make that darkness drug... and a few other drugs.

[quote][color=skyblue]"I don't see you as a criminal for turning to it. Apart from killing people in cold blood, but shit, that's half of the team. No, I think you're a victim of it. Same as anyone who plugged in Shroud's hardware into themselves. But you're clearly capable of doing a lot of good....even if you went excessive on those crooks, terrified a load of civies but you did get the job done, I will say that. And that I respect. We'll work on that bloodlust later because there wasn't any need for it. So yeah, however I can help, I'll help."[/color][/quote]
Eclipse clicks his tongue and taps his own arm again. Oh, he [i]hates[/i] this talk. Yeah, he's a victim. Fuck off. He's a bad guy; he sold drugs to supers and maybe to some kids... well, they looked young. He's fine with that label: villain, antagonist, bad guy, whatever the fuck the stories call him. He's fine with it. He's lived with it all his life the moment he started making drugs. Now's not any different.

It's just an easy way out of prison, nothing else. He does his 'redeeming' hero work, he gets paid, and he gets a place nicer than his cell. He's [i]fine[/i] with it.

By now, he's changed from tapping his arm to aggressively tapping his feet against the floor. It's a solid clank each time.

[color=gray]"I want to make a deal."[/color] Eclipse halts any movement. [color=gray]"I stop my 'excessive bloodlust' and do my job well, you convince SDN higher-ups to let me make my drugs again. For [i]myself.[/i] It'll make yours and my job easier."[/color]

Was that even something he could do? He's tempted to offer James a hit of his superpower-inducing drug to sweeten the deal, but he didn't look like the drug type.
[hr][center][h2][color=gray]Waiting[/color][/h2][sub][@cosmiccowgirl][/sub][/center][hr]
Eclipse comes out of the meeting and returns to his corner, this time snaking a shadowy tendril into the vending machine to dislodge the Cheeto bag and... Why the fuck was he paying for this if he could just do this? Right. Higher-ups wouldn't like that, and he needs to stay in good standing with SDN, should he even have a chance at getting his drugs back.

Blackstar is called to meet James next, and Eclipse stops her before she leaves. Maybe he leans in a little too close, maybe the voice changer is a bit off-putting, but it is a genuine compliment. [color=gray]"Beautiful suit. Dark..."[/color] he has to hold himself back from completing it with 'like my soul' and stifles a laugh. [color=gray]"Like the night."[/color]

He lets her pass after the exchange, and a shadowed tendril drops a Cheetos bag into his hands as she leaves.

Madcap is occupying himself doing crunches as the other heroes come and go. He leaps up the instant it's his turn to get interviewed. His heroism is finally gonna be recognized!
[hr][center][h2][color=dodgerblue]It's Good, Isn't It?![/color][/h2][sub]So, that didn't go as planned...[/sub][/center][hr]
Madcap leaps into the meeting room with reckless abandon and sits himself just as energetically. He's having trouble sitting still, anticipating a shower of praise and a promotion to more befitting hero work--like taking down demons and beating on villains to save the day!

[quote][color=skyblue]"Madcap, I'm.....I'm not going to lie, you're......your heart is in the right place. But, and please take this constructively. I don't think you can tell the difference between doing things because it makes you feel like a hero, and doing the job that a hero does."[/color][/quote]
[color=dodgerblue]"What."[/color]

[quote][color=skyblue]"I'm not a hero either, mate. But the thing you need to ask yourself isn't about how it makes you feel. It's about helping others. That's what being a hero is. And you did well with the coffee order earlier, despite.....the review that was mixed. And at the dorms you took some hits so Lunara could finish the fight. So you're capable of doing it."[/color][/quote]
[color=dodgerblue][i]"What."[/i][/color]

[quote][color=skyblue]"But do you think hurling that old lady is what she would have wanted? Because it was a nightmare to fix on my end. Madcap, I don't need to remind you that you're a Phoenix. That means if you underperform this, you will go back to prison. And right now, you're nearly at the bottom of the leaderboard. I treat my heroes the same, but that fact alone means I need to be really careful because I don't want you to. And you don't want to either. I can tell."[/color][/quote]
[color=dodgerblue][i][b]"WHAT."[/b][/i][/color]

[quote][color=skyblue]"So I'm just asking you to take your time. Think what you're doing through. Being a hero isn't just about the costume, or the mask, or who you are. It's about making sure that you're helping subscribers, so they can do good. Forget what you're wearing. Do good and try not to hurt people we help. Does that sound alright?"[/color][/quote]
His heart is broken, and he hurls over in pain at the end of the lecture. James struck a nerve; that much was obvious, and the bug-eyed hero hated being lectured like a child, especially from someone as clueless as an unpowered dispatcher. Madcap snaps back up and grips James's collar. It's aggressive, but he's clearly holding himself back. [color=dodgerblue]"I did the job! I helped Lunara, I delivered the coffee to that [i]villain[/i], and [i]this[/i] is what I get? A lecture on right and wrong from a guy who isn't even a hero?!"[/color]

The bug-eyes on his helmet have a dangerous glint. [color=dodgerblue]"I KNOW I hurt the old lady! It won't happen again because heroes get up and learn! We [b][i]adapt![/i][/b] I still helped Lunara, I still did that stupid, unheroic job you sent me on, and this is all I get? And the review was good! I did good that time!"[/color]

Madcap can't help but thrash James around in annoyance. He remembers now: the incident that was promptly covered up by SDN--he remembers reading about it on superhero forums and the news. [color=dodgerblue]"Lightning Girl's not near the bottom, and she hurt those two other heroes she was working with, [b]RIGHT?![/b] Isn't that worse?! Because it means you have to replace two good heroes with a bunch of lunatics and villains! That's not how heroes work!"[/color]

He drops James back into his chair, perhaps a little too hard, without realizing. [color=dodgerblue]"Lightning Girl destroyed a door when the subscriber had a key the whole time! Then she zaps two of her friends! And she's. Still. HERE!"[/color] He grips his helmet as if suffering a headache. [color=dodgerblue]"It was [i]one[/i] mistake! And if the old lady had fallen right, then it wouldn't have been a mistake; just like how if Lightning Girl's teammates didn't get in the way, you wouldn't have had to cover it all up!"[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"I thought it was OK because heroes make mistakes! We always get back up,"[/color] he groans, [color=dodgerblue]"but you're not letting me get back up! Why don't you do that to Lightning Girl?"[/color]

He stops whining, and his voice drops an octave; he uses this voice to intimidate criminals. [color=dodgerblue]"You don't know [i]anything[/i] about being a hero. You sit behind that desk and boss all the heroes around, but you don't know anything about fighting crime or putting your life on the line to do what's right."[/color]  He puts a leg up on the table and leans forward. [color=dodgerblue]"I've been doing good long before I ever needed a dispatcher to tell [i]me[/i] what to do. [b]Don't[/b] tell me what it means to be a hero."[/color]

Madcap promptly stomps his foot on the table and storms out of the room, hands shoved into his trench coat pockets. Doing good was 'helping subscribers'! Yeah, right! What about non-subscribers?... They arrested him because his vigilantism was making them lose money--that's it! SDN is trying to create a monopoly on superheroing so they can get ultra-rich.

His shoulders slump. 

Doesn't that mean Phenomaman, Blonde Blazer, and all the other big names are industry plants? That [i]sucks.[/i]